Maldives strains- India-Maldives ties hit a rough patch after ministers’ tweets

Maldives strains: India-Maldives ties hit a rough patch after ministers’ tweets

India’s relationship with Maldives—a key maritime neighbour in the Indian Ocean with a special place in its vision for SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region)—is passing through a testing period. For starters, there was a pro-China regime change in the island nation with the new President, Mohamed Muizzu, formally requesting India to withdraw its military presence from Maldives.

He is currently on a state visit to China instead of a customary first trip to India which is the normal practice of immediate neighbours. As if all of this wasn’t bad enough, three young ministers tweeted derogatory remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi after he promoted beach tourism in Lakshadweep and the people of India. The social media backlash was predictably swift with the Maldives government suspending these ministers and stating that their opinions are personal and do not represent its views. But the damage has been done which threatens to be a potential pain point for the bilateral relationship.

Last year, tourists from India accounted for 12% of total arrivals, closely followed by the Russians and Chinese visitors. So, the potential absence of arrivals from India per se is unlikely to cripple the tourism industry of Maldives which accounts for one-thirds of its economy and more than 60% of foreign exchange receipts. For all the social media frenzy, Lakshadweep is no threat to Maldives until it improves its infrastructure to attract high-end tourism. This will happen with the faster development of cruise tourism and global majors participating in a bigger way on India’s waterways and resorts along the 7,500 km-long coastline.

For all the current strains in Indo-Maldives ties, it is important to bear in mind the interdependencies that cannot be wished away. This has been even admitted by Maldives’s president in an interview to the Times of India. While he said that India not withdrawing its forces from the island nation amounts to disrespecting the will of Maldivians, he backed defence cooperation with India, including the efforts to build the operational readiness of the Maldives National Defence Force saying that it was based on mutual respect and trust. “India is our closest neighbour. That is geographical reality. India is one of our closest friends. We share traditional and cultural roots. That is a historical fact. These realities will not change,” he emphasised.

For such reasons, the current controversies must blow over and not bedevil the bilateral relationship. India’s aid serves the developmental interests of Maldives. India has substantially contributed in areas like people’s welfare, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. India has been the first responder for the Maldives notably during the coup attempt in 1988, tsunami of 2004, and drinking water crisis in 2014. During the last five years, more than 450 multi-faceted missions have been carried out to safeguard the maritime security of Maldives. These interdependencies must continue to be fostered despite the pro-China tilt of the regime in Maldives.